The actual tree move began on May 31, 2001 as the five-person National Shade crew hand dug the perimeter of the 30-foot (9.1 m) root ball to a depth of 4 feet (1.2 m). Following the hand digging, an excavator was used to move soil away. The entire root ball was then wrapped with alternating layers of burlap and wire fencing. When the root ball was secure, an entrance ramp was cre- ated. Steel pipes, 40 feet (12.2 m) long x 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter, were then set under the root ball with a hammer hoe to create a lifting platform. The platform and tree were lifted with four hydraulic jacks and set onto a specially constructed steel trailer; all the while, the tree remained in an upright position.
Together, the tree and lifting platform weighed 250 tons (227 metric tons). With the gantry system complete, the tree was ready to begin its move. This entire unit, steered with a tracked exactor and pushed with two D7 Caterpillars, moved slowly for 800 yards (732 m) across a paved parking lot to its new home near the front of the proposed community center. Eight days later, on June 8, 2001, the GFT move was completed as the bur oak was set into a prominent location in front of the new community center.
The GFT has just celebrated its 10th anniversary in its new location. The tree did suffer some minor die-
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This new site was carefully engineered so the tree would set with the same north-south direction, the same tilt, and the same ground slope in the immediate area. Also, topsoil was trucked over from the original spot.
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